The Other Music Update

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	May 21, 2008

TUNE IN FOR OTHER MUSIC ON EAST VILLAGE RADIO
Set your cyber-dial to East Village Radio every Monday afternoon, from 4 to 6PM, when Other Music takes over the Internet airwaves. Every week, staff members play an eclectic mix of tunes, including lots of artists featured on recent Other Music Updates. And if you aren't near your computer to hear our show live, the programs are archived for your listening pleasure. Just click on over to the Other Music page on the East Village Radio website.


	FEATURED NEW RELEASES Paavoharju Bonnie "Prince" Billy Factums Pink Noise Dead Luke Nice Face Mudhoney (deluxe reissue & new album) Paper Bubble Raven Bruce Haack Islands Jay Reatard (7" single) Michael Leonhart Free Kitten		John Zorn (2 albums) Joakim Skogsberg Mates of State Jeremy Jay Classic Cuts (Clone compilation) Andy Votel Presents...Brazilika ALSO AVAILABLE The National (DVD + CD-EP) Jim O'Rourke (2 reissues) Alan Licht & Aki Onda The Explorer's Club Indian Jewelry King Darves

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WIN TICKETS TO MIKE LADD AT BROOKLYN SHUFFLE
This Saturday, hip-hop iconoclast Mike Ladd will be returning to New York to play a rare performance with his band in tow at the second installment of the Brooklyn Shuffle. Guaranteed to be an eclectic evening of music, also on the bill: Grey Reverend, No Surrender, the Juggs, DJ Myles & DJ Lindsey. Enter to win a pair of tickets by emailing enter@othermusic.com. We'll be picking two names (one pair each) on Friday, May 23rd. Good luck!

SATURDAY, MAY 24
THE YARD: 400 Carroll Street between Bond and Nevins, Brooklyn
$10 ADV TICKETS / $12 D.O.S. / Doors at 4PM

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Click for Schedule

ROY DAVIS JR. KICKS OFF SUNDAY BEST AT THE YARD
Gussie up to get down at the brand new, easy-going, late afternoon, barbecue cum dance party -- every Sunday throughout the summer. Sunday Best takes over The Yard, a leafy waterside lot on the Gowanus Canal for a nice, mid-afternoon barbecue. It's no ordinary weenie roast, though. The bar-b's organic and resident DJs Justin Carter, Eamon Harkin and Doug Singer play alongside some of the finest DJs to ever take on a back yard. The party kicks off this Sunday, May 25, with Chicago house legend Roy Davis Jr. playing his first New York set in years! Other Music has two pairs of tickets up for grabs. Just email giveaway@othermusic.com and we'll be picking two winners this Friday.

SUNDAY, MAY 25
THE YARD: 400 Carroll Street between Bond and Nevins, Brooklyn

$8 / All Ages / 3PM-9PM
rsvp@sundaysbestnyc.com

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WIN TICKETS TO ALAN LICHT & AKI ONDA
On Saturday, May 31st, Alan Licht and Aki Onda will be performing at the Abrons Arts Center, marking the release of their debut recorded collaboration, Everydays. Their combined history connects artists straddling the pop and experimental worlds, including Fennesz, Loren Connors, Takemura Nobukazu, Lee Ranaldo, and Toriko Nujiko. In concert, the duo creates soundscapes that mix Onda's poetic/textural cassette sounds and the rhythmic/lyrical pull of Licht's guitar. Opening the show will be solo sets by Brian Chase (drummer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and MV Carbon (a key figure in exploring the nexus between noise and rock). To enter to win a pair of tickets, email tickets@othermusic.com. We'll be picking two winners (one pair of passes each) on Monday, May 26th.

SATURDAY, MAY 31
ABRONS ARTS CENTER: 466 Grand Street (at Pitt) NYC
8:30PM / $10

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UPCOMING OTHER MUSIC IN-STORE
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND: MONDAY, JUNE 9 @ 8PM
Shara Worden and Co. stop by the shop to perform an in-store in support of their forthcoming new album, A Thousand Shark's Teeth, out June 17, on Asthmatic Kitty. Download the first single, "Inside a Boy," off of Other Music Digital.

OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC
Free admission / Limited capacity


	$19.99 CD $22.99 LP $9.99 MP3		PAAVOHARJU Laulu Laakson Kukista (Fonal) "Kevatrumpu" "Uskallan" Paavoharju's Yha Hamaraa was a staff and customer favorite a few years back, no doubt due to the group's mysterious lo-fi fusion of sounds, their exotic pop melodies frequently teetering in the mix until finally dissolving into otherworldly hiss. Like its predecessor, the Finnish collective's new album plays like the radio during a late night car ride across the middle of nowhere, where songs never have a proper beginning or end as faint transmissions from far away broadcasts morph into each other and are bathed in shimmering static. But Laulu Laakson Kukista is far from a retread, possessing a much darker feel and a more fleshed-out and varied sound. "Pimeankarkelo" opens the album with ethereal guitar plucks and distant spoken word that ebb and flow around waves of pipe organ and Leena Uotila's angelic, operatic melody -- it's all at once spookily psychedelic and church-like. (Paavoharju are reportedly born again Christians, although I suspect that their faith is much more communal and inclusive, say more like a 21st century Nordic Trees Community, than your typical American denomination.) "Kevatrumpu" finds the band approximating dance music, as a rapid rhythm of dissonant bells and Uotila's exotic voice float above a low synthesizer pulse and clattering percussion, the song fading in and out of white noise. Another highlight, "Uskallan" (originally released as a limited single on Type) is one of Paavoharju's poppiest moments to date, but the interwoven Bollywood-inspired melodies and the see-saw dynamics still play out like a song you'd hear on a Sublime Frequencies compilation. In contrast, "Tuoksu tarttuu meihin" and "Ursulan uni" find the band at their most ethereal, warping classical based piano arrangements around haunting, outdoor ambience and light twinkling electronics. The overall aesthetic of Laulu Laakson Kukista really does remind me of a record that 4AD would have released during their era of This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins, but replace the cold war, post-modern cues of those bands with a mysterious blend of folk, pop and Middle and Far Eastern sounds. Guided by forest spirits and psychedelic ghosts, Paavoharju's music remains breathlessly indescribable. [GH] Other Music Digital is offering a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD of "Uskallan," from Paavoharju's new album, Laulu Laakson Kukista. Offer good until Friday, May 23.


	$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3		BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY Lie Down in the Light (Drag City) "Easy Does It" "So Everyone" Fans of the ever-inscrutable Will Oldham and his permutating identities: Palace Brothers, Palace Music, Sundowners, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, etc. know to expect the unexpected. So to say that his newest full-length is unexpected is merely par for the course. But it is unexpected, doggonit. While his last full album (not counting the covers EP, live concerts, and some Neil Hagerty remixes) The Letting Go proved to be his most sumptuous outing yet, Lie Down in the Light blooms even brighter, expands out even wider. And for as dark as Billy can get, this is both light and bright. It is a continuation of The Letting Go's themes of the salvation of love, of reveling in carnality, but this set of twelve songs also uses music herself as a key metaphor. Which is appropriate, as the sound palette offered up by Lambchop's Mark Nevers is expansive: clarinet, pedal steel, horns. And the debut of new sparring partner Ashley Webber gives the he said/she said songs some real sparks. As spring unfurls, this will no doubt soundtrack many afternoons spent in the sun. [AB]


	Factums $16.99 LP + 45 Pink Noise $13.99 LP Dead Luke $4.99 45 Nice Face $4.99 45		FACTUMS The Sistrum (Sacred Bones) PINK NOISE Dream Code (Sacred Bones) DEAD LUKE Record One (Sacred Bones) NICE FACE Thing in My Head (Sacred Bones) There's been something new brewing in subterranean North America over the last few years. "Weird punk," "Shtgaze," "Gluewave,"...call it what you will, but the number of great DIY punk/post-punk/synth/art pop records are too many to count. Times New Viking, Pink Reason, and Psychedelic Horsesht are all fairly high profile (that's all relative, of course), and records by Blank Dogs, TV Ghost, Mac Blackout/Daily Void, Home Blitz etc, are primed to become personal favorites of hundreds of kids, it's only a matter of time. One of the most interesting labels to come out of Brooklyn in a loooong time (yeah, yeah, take that up with me later) is Sacred Bones, responsible for one of the two best Blank Dogs releases to date, and excellent singles by Hunchback and the Hunt. And with this new batch of releases, beautifully uniform looking LPs by Pink Noise and Factums and 7"s by Dead Luke and Nice Face, Sacred Bones is well on the way to building an empire all of its own. Featuring former members of the Intelligence and A-Frames, Factums have been skronking on for quite a bit now, with an excellent LP on Siltbreeze, but I certainly didn't see this one coming. The Sistrum took three or four listens to sink in, but when it did, it started warping and poking at my brain. It's a sort of deconstructed industrial punk rock, which hints at a joint record collection that includes a Chrome record or two, a few Residents cassettes, early Cabaret Voltaire, and some Pere Ubu live bootlegs. Cyclic and trance-like, The Sistrum clangs and throbs and rumbles like an alien black mass and whatever Factums travel in, it's completely out of orbit. Killer. 900 pressed with silkscreened sleeves, and a bonus 7". Toronto-based duo the Pink Noise sound as if Suicide came armed with a sack full of junkshop electronics (oh, wait...) and a guitar, and set out to make pop songs. Dream Code collects material from 2005-07, and while the sound is sinister at times, and the overall vibe is dazed and hazy, the pop sensibility here is undeniable, with buzzsaw guitars and synth hooks aplenty. There's a dark almost-disco vibe going on here at times too. My most played record of '08 so far, and I still get bummed out every time it ends. 400 pressed with silkscreened sleeves, pretty much gone, but a second pressing is in the works. Dead Luke's narcotic take on the Troggs' classic "I Want You" is goddamn audacious! With a lazy vocal sneer and murky electronic backing, Luke turns in an evil, somnambulant version which makes the chorus sound more like an incantation than a plea to a loved one. And that's just the a-side. One-man band Nice Face, on the other hand, goes for the pop jugular, with two hits from another dimension. Guitars, keyboard, drum machine and distorted vocal wisdom. Bedroom punk they call it, and when you think about it, isn't that where you want to spend most of your time anyway? Top notch like the rest of them. Collect all the Bones. [AK] Check out sound samples on: myspace.com/sacredbonesrecords


	$15.99 CDx2		MUDHONEY Superfuzz Bigmuff Deluxe (Sub Pop) "Touch Me I'm Sick" "Sweet Young Thing (Live)" Let me start by saying this...Forget Nirvana. Forget Soundgarden. It was Mudhoney who was the staple artist of the original Sub Pop roster. Mudhoney was thee band, period! With a pedigree from some of Seattle's legendary groups, the "buzz" around Mudhoney in the late '80s was BIG, and in 1988 they released one of the best 7"s I've heard to date; "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More" b/w "Touch Me I'm Sick" literally blew my mind. They were tracks that spawned a thousand bands. God, I wore out the grooves on the original single and I had to buy two more copies. Soon after, word of a mini-album surfaced, and in late 1988 Mudhoney released Superfuzz Bigmuff. Could it possibly live up to the expectation? Hell yes! Superfuzz Bigmuff was perfect, featuring six songs that took inspiration from MC5, the Stooges, Blue Cheer, and many, many more. A track like "In 'n' Out of Grace" is as perfect and relevant now, as it was back then. This is rock in its most primal form, with pounding drums, driving bass lines, fuzzed-out guitars, and a lead singer that yelled, scream, and sung with as much intensity as any rock vocalist that came before him. Damn, was this some great music. Twenty years later and Sub Pop have remastered and reissued Superfuzz Bigmuff in a deluxe two-CD set that contains every Mudhoney track from the era! You get all of the A- and B-sides to the two singles, the Superfuzz Bigmuff mini-album, all of the compilation tracks, a slew of amazing demo recordings, and two live shows that prove that Mudhoney were more of a force to be reckoned with on the stage than on the turntable. It all comes in a deluxe package with photos and liner notes by Seattle luminaries. God damn, what more do you need? So if you like ROCK music, and if you like your guitars turned to up to 11, and if you like to cut loose (even just a little bit), then this is your soundtrack! Utterly essential, our man Andreas thinks it's better than Bleach! We'll let you debate that one on your own. [JS]


	$13.99 CD $13.99 LP		MUDHONEY The Lucky Ones (Sub Pop) "The Lucky Ones" "And the Shimmering Light" I enjoy being a fan. I like obsessing over the records, seeing the live shows, the whole deal. And there are few bands that I'm a bigger fan of than Mudhoney. They've always been the total package: full-on rockers, totally smart, impeccable taste, painfully funny and, above all, they just don't care if you get it or not. What other band would even entertain the idea of releasing their new album the same day as the deluxe expanded reissue of their classic, first record? Now as great as the Superfuzz Bigmuff reissue is, I'm a bit more excited by this new full-length. Three records into their second phase (with Guy Madison replacing original bass player Matt Lukin) and they're tearing it up with more energy and better songs than most bands half their age. Thankfully there is no new ground broken here. They come out swinging, hard with the hilarious "I'm Now" and don't let up for the next 36 minutes of their perfect Blue Cheer meets punk rock mess that defines "grunge." Seriously, rock and roll rarely gets as perfect as it does on "Tales of Terror" as it goes from rave-up intro to full-on frantic and then a supremely confused breakdown and then back to the action. I enjoy being a Mudhoney fan! [DMa]


	$17.99 CD		PAPER BUBBLE Scenery (RPM Records) "Fillin' a Gap" "MM of LA" I'm a sucker for just about any decent British pop or folk record from the late '60s or early '70s. Having mined through so many of them over the last few years I'm quite surprised on the rare occasions when I hear something great for the first time. Scenery, the one and only album by the British trio Paper Bubble, was one of those pleasant surprises. I found it almost by accident when browsing through an online discography of Deram Records, the Decca subsidiary that released the debuts of David Bowie and Cat Stevens as well as terrific albums by Bill Fay, the Honeybus, Michael Chapman, the Flower Pot Men, the Syn, World Of Oz, and many others. I managed to track down an mp3 rip of a scratchy vinyl copy, and I was instantly hooked. Paper Bubble was a trio made up of two singer-songwriters who harmonized beautifully and both played acoustic guitar, plus a bass player. Scenery came out in 1970 and was Paper Bubble's only album. Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper of the Strawbs produced the LP and gave it some nice little psychedelic flourishes; the brief echo-drenched vocal effect on the title track sounds uncannily like something from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Cousins and Hooper also recruited fellow Strawbs members Rick Wakemen, Richard Hudson, and John Ford to accompany Paper Bubble on a few songs. Some of their contributions, especially Wakeman's bombastic organ playing on "Mother Mother Mother," are a little over-the-top for my taste. The album's soaring orchestral arrangements by Phil Dennys, best known for his work on the Bee Gees' 1st, are much more to my liking. Scenery's closing track "Tomorrow Never Comes Like a Silver Spoon" echoes Revolver's "Tomorrow Never Knows" -- sitar and all. But where the Beatles' song signaled the birth of psychedelia just four years earlier, Paper Bubble's song is a eulogy for a bygone era. When they sing lines like "the mellow sun was dripping through the trees/holding hands with the breeze," they're clearly referring to a style of music and a period of time that felt like it was pretty much over. No wonder Paper Bubble never made a second album. [RH]


	$9.99 CD		RAVEN Back to Ohio Blues (Owl) "Raven Mad Jam" "War with My Soul" The mysterious Raven has long been a serious puzzle. Raven (a person, not a full band) assembled some friends and made this album (recorded in 1975 in Columbus, Ohio, and pressed in an edition of 300) and was never heard from again, until now. Back to Ohio Blues has long been a holy grail-type record for collectors the world over. But don't let that scare you because unlike a lot of "real people", "psychedelic", or "acid blues", or whatever tags that get applied to drive up the value of a dealer's stash, this thing actually lives up to the hype and then some. The murky intro to "Can't You See" gives way to insistent riffing, cool reverb-drenched vocals and some hectic guitar jammage. Sick stuff, but then it gets even sicker. "Raven Mad Jam" is definitely the highlight of the album as it urges you to "get high, get down, get stoned, and get f*ked," then Raven takes off on an extended guitar trip and finally comes down ready to "make love." Although now over 30-years-old, the music on Back to Ohio Blues* still sounds fresh and vital. The universal themes of desperation, anger, lust, love and drugs, combined with a distorted guitar, come together for the 13-minute-plus title track and album closer, and there's a big difference between meandering and hitting the right notes, over and over again! Raven knows what that difference is. Highly recommended. [DMa]


	$17.99 CD		BRUCE HAACK Haackula (Omni) "Man Kind" "Sun Sukd" Recorded in 1978 but shelved because of its dark and adult content, electronic music genius Bruce Haack's Haackula has been begging for a proper release ever since. A watered down, edited version was released in 1981 (as Bite) but it hardly tells the entire story of this album. While he is primarily known for his quirky synthesizer works for children, Haackula is an entirely different deal. Some of the playfulness remains but the overall mood is serious and spooky, with Haack cursing and expressing his frustration with society over an electronic backing that comes across as a twisted electro version of Kraftwerk. Kinda like he got fed up with educating the kiddies and playing nice, and let all his discontent and dark secrets out in one fell swoop. Completely mind-melting and political psychedelic electronics that sound as if they just arrived from the future. In addition, there's a track he did with Russell Simmons (!) in 1982 ("Party Machine") and "Icarus," an amazing 32-minute soundscape from 1979. Highly recommended. [AK]


	$14.99 CD		ISLANDS An Arm's Way (Anti-) "Creeper" "In the Rushes" From the ashes of synth-loving, lo-fi pop experimentalists the Unicorns, in 2005 Nick "Diamonds" Thorburn (vocals, guitar, keyboard) and Jaime "Tambeur" Thompson (drums) formed Islands -- with the help of with violinists Alex and Sebastian Chow, Jim Guthrie (Woody's grandson) and rappers Subtitle and Busdriver. A year later, the group released their whimsical, bright pop gem of a debut, Return to the Sea, but, citing a loss of interest, Thompson quit the band soon after. Islands continued, however, with Thorburn the only holdover from the Unicorns days. Two years later, An Arm's Wayfinds the collective unsurprisingly heading in a new, tighter direction, away from the carefree, experimental pop sound of the Unicorns, which was still slightly apparent on Return to the Sea. And despite the fact that frontman Thorburn has taken a more mature route both lyrically and musically, letting go of the excesses of endearingly weird arrangements and guest rappers so present on earlier recordings, he hasn't lost the exuberance that makes his music unquestioningly catchy and an enjoyable listen. Mid-track "Creeper" is the perfect example; while the insanely slick production is immediately evident, Thorburn's dramatic vocals and '80s guitar almost beg for a sing-a-long before giving way to a shambolic steel drum sequence, mixing former whimsy with a more serious take on musicianship. And while the band has dropped its constantly quirky categorization and now seem to be aiming at the arena with grand string arrangements in tow, they're still creating winsome pop tunes that will keep their audience's favor. If fans were still questioning whether Thorburn could ever rid himself of the Unicorns tag, An Arm's Way answers it: Yes. And that's not such a bad thing. [PG]


	$4.99 45		JAY REATARD Painted Shut (Matador) "Painted Shut" Number two in the series of six limited Jay Reatard singles for Matador, each pressed in a smaller quantity than the one before. This one trumps "See/Saw" handily, maybe due to momentum, or most likely because these are great songs, made for the format. "Painted Shut" is 105 seconds of glee, a perfect amalgamation of Adverts-style punk snot and winsome, speedy C86 pop. "An Ugly Death" repeats this triumph, adding some loose and wild garage riffin' to the mix. If you hate this guy, then you hate fun, and there's really no saving you now. [DM]


	$14.99 LP $9.99 MP3		MICHAEL LEONHART Hotel Music (St. Ives) Michael Leonhart's St. Ives debut is a hazy pastiche of found sounds, off-kilter loops and submerged pop hooks, a headphone journey into the soul of this talented multi-instrumentalist. Hotel Music is far from this young musician's coming out, as he has self-released several great bedroom pop albums and is a pedigreed jazz trumpet session player. This album was actually recorded in hotel rooms around the world while Leonhart did time in the horn sections of a couple of marquee artists whose music likely would not prepare you for the dark, swirling creation that lies within. It's a nice combination, top-notch musicianship and pop sensibility drenched in murk and drone, odd instrumentation and tape hiss (or is that laptop hiss?). Limited vinyl (200 copies hand-painted covers) and download only. [JM] Preview songs off of Other Music Digital.


	$9.99 CD $9.99 MP3		FREE KITTEN Inherit (Ecstatic Peace) "Bananas" "Seasick" No doubt the male-dominated music industry feels differently -- but we've really missed Free Kitten. The all-girl supergroup side project of Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, Pussy Galore's Julie Cafritz, and Boredoms' Yoshimi prove they have at least nine lives by resurfacing with their first full-length in eleven years. Amazingly, Inherit sounds as though the trio has been jamming together once a week since; they plow through dirty garage pop, psychedelic janglers and droners, and edgy '90s rock improvisations with telepathic ease. Free Kitten's latest will immediately win over fans of the most recent releases from Magik Markers and Blood on the Wall, but while Sonic Youth fans especially will cream over this one, other girls of the world will too; Free Kitten has always stood apart as aggressively feminist, and Inherit is directly informed by this consciousness. There's the assertive, coaxing chorus of "C'mon, turn it all up" on the line check-imitative opener "Erected Girl," and "Billboard" finds Gordon mulling over a fashion plate's bulge, asking "Look who's wearing the pants?" Free Kitten swings between experience-inspired commentaries on sexism and open-ended, angry narratives of female experience; the driving, percussive punk freak-out "Help Me" starts with a lo-fi recording of Cafritz screaming, as though from behind her own wheel, "I am stuck in my car, never driving far enough -- where, where, not anywhere I wanna be. Let me out, let me out, let me out, let me out, let me out of here!" While Inherit makes a firm argument for the future of feminist experimental rock, it also clearly embodies a devotion to innovative musicality and free expression, traits that have become characteristic of releases on the Ecstatic Peace label. Inherit sounds like much more of a gateway to a prolific return of Free Kitten, rather than a "one-off" reunion album -- if only it were true? [KS]


	$14.99 CD		JOHN ZORN The Dreamers (Tzadik) "Mow Mow" "Anulikwutsayl" The first of two new Zorn-related releases features members of perhaps his finest group, Electric Masada (only Ikue Mori is excluded). The music reflects the album's namesake, with vivid impressions of the non-waking state. Picking up where 2001's The Gift release left off, elements of exotica, surf, video game and film soundtracks, cool jazz, and world music pervade the 10 tracks. While each of these elements has been a staple of Zorn's vocabulary for many years, with The Dreamers, he has managed to avoid the often-jarring turrets blasts of them, in favor of more straight-ahead and focused renditions, all the while remaining distinctly Zorn. What is most notable about the playing on The Dreamers is the amount of restraint shown from these downtown masters -- actually, Zorn plays only on the CD's shortest track. If you're looking for non-stop musical bombast and pyrotechnics, this is not the album for you. That said, Jamie Saft shines on the Guraldi-inspired "A Ride on Cottonfair" giving the ivories a breezy working-over. Marc Ribot stands out on the nightmarish Badalamenti-esque "Anulikwutsayl," weaving his signature bizarro blues lines with a dramatic recurring 4-note reverb-soaked theme. His use of the electrolytic oil-based tel-ray guitar effect (www.geocities.com/tel_ray/) throughout the CD provides much of the resulting atmosphere of reverie. Cyro Baptista also brings his usual percussive unusualness to "Mystic Circles." The disc comes with a cool, if strangely creepy, set of stickers featuring the Japanimation-style cartoon characters that adorn the cover of the release, presumably "The Dreamers" or figments of the Dreamers' dreams. As the liner notes indicate, it "will appeal to listeners of all ages." Is Zorn looking for a new audience among the sticker collecting set? Mercifully, the creepiness of the artwork of The Gift was forsaken, allowing The Dreamers to become Zorn's most family-friendly release to date. Don't let that fool you though: it's all relative to Zorn's typically slightly sinister aesthetic. The Dreamers is probably my favorite Zorn release since EM's At the Mountain of Madness (2005), which is among his best overall. [KC]


	$14.99 CD		JOHN ZORN / BAR KOKHBA Lucifer (Tzadik) "Sother" "Rahal" John Zorn's Masada refers not only to his incredible, now defunct "Ornette meets klez" quartet, but also more broadly to a group of songs exploring Jewish roots, and meant to be played by any small group of instrumentalists. The now 500-plus compositions are made up of heads, comprised of Sephardic and Ashkenazi modes or scales, with much room for interpretation in arrangement and improvisation. Having finished his second book in the Masada series, The Book of Angels, Zorn chose a not-surprising twist on the typical angelic theme, spotlighting instead the "angels" of the netherworld. The fallen archangel Lucifer is the subject of Volume 10, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a group more resourceful or skilled in interpreting his mania and sadness than the Bar Kokhba sextet featured on this CD. Made up of violinist Mark Feldman, cellist Erik Friedlander, guitarist Marc Ribot, bassist Greg Cohen, drummer Joey Baron, and percussionist Cyro Baptista, the group "goes off", as it were, as well as plays with reflective moderation, effectively representing the bipolar nature of the fallen angel. In programmatic terms, at times, Ribot's guitar playing and tone seem to represent Lucifer as a "Lonely Surfer," not unlike the one portrayed on Jack Nietzsche's great album of the same name; left without the use of his wings, the former Morning Star seems to lamentably have found the surfboard to be his alternative mode of transportation. At other times, the one-two string punch of Feldman and Friedlander embodies the deep melancholy and despair that the fallen angel must have felt. On the other end of the psychological spectrum, Baron's always jaw-dropping and inspired drumming and Baptista's peculiar percussive interjections represents the frenzied and unsettled nature of the subject. In non-programmatic or absolute terms, the playing on this disc is as spot-on as any chamber group that I've ever heard. Another great installment to the Masada canon, not to be missed by fans of Zorn's or of great music in general. [KC]


	$28.99 CD		JOAKIM SKOGSBERG Jola Rota (Tiliqua) "Besvarjelse Rota" "Offer Rota" Originally released in 1972, Jola Rota was the only album Swedish psych troubadour Joakim Skogsberg managed in his brief career. And with most of the original pressing of a thousand copies long since melted down by his label to make other albums, this slab of avant-primitive weirdness has become a highly sought after side in recent years. Recorded mostly on portable gear in Swedish forests, Jola Rota saw Skogsberg creating a disc that was truly sui generis, blending deep, chanted vocals with sawing strings and dark flecks of electric guitar in ways that few have ever been able to touch. Album opener "Jola Fran Ingo" gradually sets the pace here, introducing a stark violin drone before Skogsberg's wordless, repetitive chants come through to carry the piece home. "Offer Rota" assumes a more ceremonial stance, with pulsing percussion that lays the groundwork for distorted guitar drones and a distant mouth harp. Later still, "Jola Fran Stensate" places the emphasis squarely on Skogsberg 's voice, giving it reign to flow across a gently woven pattern of backing drones. As always, Tiliqua's loving reissue takes special care through and through, remastering the original set from the master tapes all the while evidencing a creative mind bent on exploring deep recesses of the mind's eye that most people don't even know exist. [MC]


	$13.99 CD		MATES OF STATE Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk) "Get Better" "Great Dane" Lovebug duo Mates of State have indeed upended their formula a bit on their aptly-titled new disc Re-Arrange Us, refusing to roll over to the obvious limitations of their stripped-down instrumentation. First off, Kori Gardiner largely steps away from her vintage keyboards and takes a seat at the grand piano, forcing hubby Jason Hammel to scale back his pounding rhythms a notch or two as well. Then, along with producers Peter Katis and Chris Walla, the duo (and a nice lineup of guest-stars) layer strings, guitars, horns and vocals; the resulting record has less of an edge than much of their earlier work, and instead plays up Gardiner's clear, soaring voice and the emotional (or is it straight-up emo) undercurrent to their songwriting, full of sweetness and sadness too. It's an impeccably produced album, managing to be lush while still sounding somewhat stark and spare, and while some of the raw energy of the duo's earlier albums may be missed, Re-Arrange Us shakes things up nicely. [JM]


	$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3		JEREMY JAY A Place Where We Could Go (K) "Heavenly Creatures" "Beautiful Rebel" A slow buzz has been building for Jeremy Jay since his imaginary soundtrack (and very limited) Dreamland EP was first released. The subsequent singles that followed revealed this young Los Angeles songwriter to have a penchant for classic popsmiths like Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, as well as icy, synth-fueled '80s music. Produced by Calvin Johnson, his proper debut full-length is more of the former than the latter, and the sparse instrumentation of bass, guitar and drums, and Jay's reverb-drenched voice not only summons the ghosts of dead '50s teen idols but also shows the influence of '70s touchstones like David Bowie and the Modern Lovers. Jay's lyrics paint vivid details to his dark, romantic tales; during "Heavenly Creatures," the singer provides a grocery list of traits ("porcelain skin / ruby red lips / dark blonde hair / fairy tale look"), his throaty croon sounding like a cross between Jens Lekman and Jonathan Richman. Places Where We Could Go is a restrained set throughout; a song like the glam-influenced "Beautiful Rebel" is completely stripped of attitude bringing to mind slacker early-'90s more than the Thin White Duke, while the upbeat "Escape to Aspen" hesitantly rocks, its jangle-strummed guitars reminiscent of Felt. And right when you think you've got Jay all figured out, he busts out the piano and closes the album with a couple of tunes that touches upon Tin Pan Alley, albeit the skeletal arrangements and Jay's half-sing/half-speak is pretty far from Irving Berlin. Jeremy Jay isn't one to hit you over the head with a hook. His songs subtly take hold, and you'll find yourself hitting the repeat button on occasion just to catch that whispered lyric that you missed. [GH]


	$19.99 CD		VARIOUS ARTISTS Classic Cuts (Clone) "Put Your Pants On" Jackson Jones "Magical Body" Los Angeles T.F. Don't let the lazy cover design fool you, the new Clone Classics compilation is far from generic! It basically functions as Clone's answer to the Warp Influences comp from a while back but it's more obscure and a bit nastier. Two copies mixed back to back would kick a party off with ease as vintage acid house, electro and Italo disco cuts abound. The Oppenheimer Analysis track could have been on Minimal Wave's Lost Tapes compilation while Knight Action's "Single Girl" could have easily found home on Alec Derrugiero's Oh No You Didn't! mix CD. Then there's the Elect's "I'm House" or Mike Dunn's "So Let It Be House," which could've been on Soul Jazz's ACID compilation. No watered-down, magazine-launch, soundtrack/wallpaper jams on this one -- this is the s**t meant for a dirty basement where the gays mingle with the strays! [SM]


	$19.99 CD		VARIOUS ARTISTS Andy Votel Presents...Brazilika (Far Out) "Dois Toques/Pega A Voga Cabeludo" Sidney Miller/Os Brazoes "1974" Gerson Conrad/Zeze Motta Everyone's favorite archivist of the freak-funk is back with a new psych-out megamix. Andy Votel's commissioned selection for Far Out delves into the archives of noted Brazilian imprint Som Livre. A label noted for having a slightly more rockish bent, many of their '70s-era releases are considered to be some of the best musical examples of the second wave of tropicalia. OM faves like Novos Baianos, Mutantes and Tim Maia are represented here as well as the stellar Os Brazoes (whose albums are tragically out-of print now) and Trio Soneca. All tunes are handpicked by Votel and deftly cut up and blended in the signature style of his. Yet another stellar Brazilian comp for summertime listening. [DH]


	$15.99 DVD w/ CD-EP		THE NATIONAL A Skin, a Night / The Virginia EP (Beggars Banquet) French filmmaker Vincent Moon's 90-minute documentary A Skin, a Night is an intimate glimpse at the creative process behind the recording of the National's acclaimed Boxer album from last year. Also included is The Virginia EP, a 12 song set featuring demos, live versions, radio sessions, b-sides and a cover, that should hopefully hold you over until the band's next proper full-length.


	Tamper $11.99 CD Mimidokodesuka $13.99 CD		JIM O'ROURKE Tamper (Drag City) "Spirits Never Forgive" "Ascend Through the Unspoken Shadow" OSOREZAN Mimidokodesuka (Drag City) "All We Know So Far" "In Addition" Drag City steps in with two re-issues from the once-ubiquitous Jim O'Rourke, who after a steady stream of releases for years (culminating with his high-profile gigs with Sonic Youth and Wilco), moved to Tokyo and took a step back from the limelight. Tamper is a solo album originally released in '91 on the Extreme label, a trio of acoustic tape compositions, acoustic instruments (piano, oboe, etc.) meticulously cross-faded to assemble new pieces that turn the tracks on their ears (or yours). The Osorezan release is a free improv album recorded live on stage at the Pit in Tokyo in 2005 (and released only in Japan), with O'Rourke on guitar, Chris Corsano on drums and Darrin Grey on bass. A trio of amazing musicians, O'Rourke's playing is dynamic throughout, focusing on Bailey-style noise and dexterous flurries of notes, and the interaction between the trio is fluid and beautiful. Neither of the records are O'Rourke's most definitive, but they showcase two different, and less-heard sides of this incredibly talented musician.


	$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3		ALAN LICHT & AKI ONDA Everydays (Family Vineyard) "Tick Tock" "Chitchat" New York artists and longtime collaborators Alan Licht and Aki Onda present a mesmerizing barrage of sounds on Everydays, with Licht on guitar and Onda performing tape manipulations. More than just a noise record, the duo's versatility makes this a trip with plenty of up and downs, and multiple changes of scenery. From free scree and hammering noise to structured minimalism and melodies, Everydays is two luminaries at the top of their game.


	$14.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3		THE EXPLORER'S CLUB Freedom Wind (Dead Oceans) "If You Go" No, this is not some long lost pop gem from the '60s that the Dead Oceans label just scooped Sundazed on. Hailing from Charleston, SC, the Explorer's Club are a new band but their first full-length, Freedom Wind, is clearly not of this time. Listening to their rich vocal harmonies on beautifully arranged, yearning songs like "Forever," "Don't Forget the Sun" and "Do You Love Me," it's immediately apparent that the Beach Boys are the band's main influence, but you'll also hear echoes of Paul McCartney, the Zombies/Colin Blunstone and Emitt Rhodes throughout as well. Looking for that perfect summer soundtrack for your trips to the beach, step right up.


	$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3		INDIAN JEWELRY Free Gold! (We Are Free) "Pompeii" Free Gold! sees Indian Jewelry scale back the throbbing electronic elements of their previous releases in favor of a more repetitive psychedelic aesthetic. The band still sounds like they armed themselves with a hodge podge of thrift store gear, but they are much more cohesive now than before. There are shades of Can and Velvet Underground, as well as modern psych explorers such as Wooden Shjips. Recommended.


	$13.99 CD $15.99 LP $9.99 MP3		KING DARVES Sun Splits for the Blind Swimmer (De Stijl) "Sea Bird" "All in My Sleep" Hailing from New Brunswick, NJ, King Darves delivers sparse folk music that owes more to New Zealand noise and other acid-damaged soundtracks than it does any pastoral beardo scenes. But while his previous tapes and CD-Rs proudly displayed the freak card, this wonderful De Stijl debut is gloriously unafraid to be straight-up beautiful, with the King's rich, melodic baritone bringing to mind pop practitioners as sweet as Stephin Merritt or Zach Condon.


	PHONE ORDERS Phone orders are accepted at (212) 477-8150 (ext. #2, mailorder) Mon-Fri, Noon - 7pm EST EMAIL For general inquiries or other information please email sales@othermusic.com. Do not reply to this message. REMOVE This is an automated list. If you would like to be removed for any reason, please visit: digital.othermusic.com/subscribe.php		THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS [AB] Adrian Burkholder [KC] Kevin Coultas [MC] Michael Crumsho [PG] Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh [GH] Gerald Hammill [DH] Duane Harriott [RH] Rob Hatch-Miller [AK] Andreas Knutsen [JM] Josh Madell [DMa] Dave Martin [DM] Doug Mosurock [SM] Scott Mou [KS] Karen Soskin [JS] Jeremy Sponder THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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